Promise You'll Love Me Tomorrow
by doragon no mizu
Summary: One shot. Kagome is living a happy life with her husband and the Shichinintai, but something just doesn't seem right. When Kagome runs into an old friend conflict ensues and Kagome is forced to choose between her family and friends.


A/N: Ah, it is officially twelve twenty one, I woke up an hour ago (mind you I went to sleep around three) and I'm eating a nice warm bowl of ramen for breakfast. I am utterly refreshed. So, out of complete boredom, I decided to work on a one-shot. So here it goes.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha, plain and simple.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_Flashback_

* * *

Kagome walked tiredly down the dirt path. Blood was dripping from nearly every single limb on her body. A twisted smirk curled upon her lips as she looked down at the pool of blood.

'Let the youkai pile on, dinner is served.' Kagome continued to walk, waiting for the first youkai to come after the scent of her blood.

_Inuyasha's nose twitched, his ears perked up. After a quick glance around the hut he dashed out. Kagome knew where he was going, just like always. _

Kagome sighed angrily; there were no signs, no _auras_ of youkai anywhere near her. "Does the world want me to be miserable! Am I not allowed to die!" Bitter tears began welling in her eyes. "Damn it all!"

She swayed slightly; the blood loss was getting to her. She tried to lift her arm to wipe some of the blood from her forehead, only to realize she didn't have the strength to, how she was still able to walk was miracle.

_Kagome quietly stood up, and crept out of the hut. 'Why am I following him if I know what I will see?' Kagome continued to follow the tug on her soul, the missing part of it pulling her towards it. _

_She reached the Ginshinboku and saw only what was expected. Inuyasha was with her again. Their lips were melded together in a passionate kiss. _

Kagome screamed in frustration, making more blood fall to the ground. 'I didn't even care anymore about them! I didn't love Inuyasha! But how could he betray me like that! …How?'

_Inuyasha stiffened, his ears perking up. He pulled away from Kikyou. "Ka-Kagome?" _

_Kikyou frowned from the interruption. An idea came to her, causing a smirk to replace her frown. "Inuyasha, will you let this girl keep my soul? Without it, I will wither away. I need it back Inuyasha, I'm dying without it." _

_Inuyasha looked at Kikyou surprised, but grimly nodded and took a menacing step towards Kagome. Kagome's eyes widened and she turned around and fled, running as fast as she could. _

_"After her!" Kikyou screamed._

Kagome looked down at her hands, blood and dirt covered them. A bitter laugh escaped her. 'Ah, Inuyasha. You bastard! I gave up my life for you, and you just had to ask for more.'

She shook her head, ignoring the pain it caused and the gush of blood that spurted from a gash on her temple. 'I could've stayed home, I could've graduated high school, gone to college, had a family. No, I just had to give that all up for you. I should've stayed home.'

Kagome continued to walk, her legs becoming heavier with each step. 'Look what I've become. Are you happy Inuyasha? You damn well better be!'

_Inuyasha ran after her, gaining ground fast. Kagome panicked and tried to run faster. As her luck goes, a root sticking out of the ground tripped her. _

_'It's all over, he'll kill me.' Kagome thought, struggling to get up. She screamed as sharp claws struck her back, the force making her topple over. _

_He struck again, swiping her across the stomach. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she screamed again in pain. Inuyasha was merciless, his claws shredding every piece of skin he touched. Blood was splattering everywhere. Kagome's screams could almost be heard for miles. _

Kagome began to walk slower, her legs becoming too weak to carry on at the same pace. She swayed again. 'You couldn't just be happy with the fact I had no happiness, no, oh no, you had to take my life's blood too.'

Soon even Kagome's thoughts became too jumbled for her to understand. She growled and continued to walk, no matter how slow her pace was. She would walk her way straight to hell if she had to.

_Kagome's tears stung as they entered gashes across her cheeks. She struggled to think of a way to save herself. "O-OSUWARI!"_

_Inuyasha was pulled to the ground by the subduing spell. Kagome scrambled to her feet and ran again. She could hear Inuyasha growling as the spell wore off and he jumped up. "OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI!" She repeated the word with every breath, each time the spell pulled Inuyasha further into the ground. _

_Branches whipped across her face, deepening and widening present gashes and creating new ones. She had only one thought in her mind, and that was to run away at all costs. _

Yes, that's how she ended up here, she ran, she ran until she could no longer move her legs that fast, she screamed until she no longer had a voice. She just barely had enough strength to smirk before she toppled to the ground, no longer able to move. 'Sweet salvation.' That was Kagome's last thought.

"…take her." That was the last thing she heard.

* * *

Kagome smiled, she twirled around, loving the feeling of the cool silk kimono on her skin.

"Imouto!" A feminine voice called out. "It's cold out, get in here! Aniki would be angry at me if you got sick!"

Kagome laughed and ran inside. She placed a quick kiss on the tall man's cheek. "Jakotsu, you shouldn't worry about me, Bankotsu is just protective."

Jakotsu wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her. "Hey! He's not the only protective one! I'd bet you I'm three times more protective of my imouto than he is of his wife!"

Kagome laughed. "I'd love to hear the argument over that one!" She pulled out of his embrace and looked around. "Where are Suikotsu and Renkotsu?"

"They're hunting for dinner." Jakotsu said absent mindedly as he threw another log onto the fire. "Bankotsu will be home in a few hours. So that should give you enough time to prepare a welcome home feast."

Kagome smiled and shook her head. "Jakky, you can't get by me, you just want me to cook you some food."

Jakotsu coughed. "Maybe… but hey! We all love your cooking! The Shichinintai thrives off of it!"

"I always wondered: why do we call it the Shichinintai if there are only five of us? Why not the Gonintai? That would make more sense, ne?" Kagome asked as she began making dough for egg rolls.

Jakotsu sighed. "There used to be seven of us. There was also Ginkotsu, Mukotsu, and Kyoukotsu."

"But onii-san, that's eight in total." Kagome's eyebrows knitted together.

"Back then we didn't count you; you were just my little sister. But after those three died you officially became a member." Jakotsu replied, a bit of sweat formed on his forehead.

Kagome kneaded the dough. "Hm…" She added a bit more flour. "Hey Jakky, what was okaa-san like? What happened to her?"

Jakotsu looked at Kagome in surprise. "My, aren't you completive today? I don't really remember; she died after you were born."

Kagome sighed. "I keep on thinking about this world, where everything is so advanced, and there's things called cars and there are barely any trees around. It looked like a fun place to visit, but not live there. Our mother was there, she was a nice woman, with short curly hair, and she was very wise. And we had an otouto, he was smart, somewhat annoying, but a very caring boy. Oh, and an ojii-san, he was kind of crazy, but I loved him. I suppose it was all a distant dream…"

Jakotsu's eyebrows knitted together. "Why are you asking all these questions? You never wondered about it before."

A wistful smile made its way onto Kagome's lips. "I've been having weird dreams lately. I suppose I have a very active imagination. Maybe I should write novels."

Jakotsu pursed his lips. "Hm."

"I'm back!" Renkotsu called out, two wild boars were slung over his back.

Kagome smiled at him. "Ah, welcome back Renkotsu! Could you skin those outside please? I rather not clean blood off the cave floor again."

Renkotsu grinned. "Whatever you say, flower of the Shichinintai."

Kagome laughed and shook her head as Renkotsu left the cave. It was a joke Renkotsu started shortly after Kagome married Bankotsu. Since she was always taking care of the four men, he insisted that she was the Shichinintai's housewife. The fight between Bankotsu and Renkotsu that followed was somewhat humorous.

Kagome left the dough to toughen a bit and started making the filling for the egg rolls. "Oh, Renkotsu? Would you mind cutting some of that boar into smaller pieces for egg rolls?"

"No problem." Renkotsu replied.

Kagome sighed and wiped her forehead off. "Well, other than the boar, the filling is complete."

Suikotsu entered the cave. He had three rabbits and a basket full of fresh herbs and fruit. "I believe this'll cover my part in dinner."

Kagome smiled. "This is wonderful; I can make Bankotsu's favorite meal. Would you mind skinning the rabbits outside with Renkotsu?"

Suikotsu shook his head, "It is no problem at all." He set the basket down by Kagome before leaving the cave with the rabbits.

Kagome hummed as she went about preparing dinner.

* * *

Kagome grinned triumphantly with her hand on her hips as she looked down at the finished meal. The three men looked at the meal with watering mouths.

"I saw screw aniki, let's get eating." Renkotsu said, eyeing the boar that Kagome roasted.

"Now, now. We'll wait for Bankotsu." Kagome said, putting her hand out in front of Renkotsu.

"Kami-sama, Kagome! This meal smells heavenly! I could've found the cave with my eyes closed!"

Kagome's eyes filled with happiness. "Bankotsu!" She leapt across the cave and ran into his arms. "I missed you!"

Bankotsu pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss, Kagome pulled away from him a few seconds later. "Not in front of everyone else!"

Bankotsu laughed and pressed his forehead against hers. "Fine, but after dinner, how about we get to work on our own family?"

Kagome playfully smacked Bankotsu's arm. "You're acting just like—" Kagome's eyebrows knit together in confusion. The other three men looked at each other.

Bankotsu sighed and gently tugged on her arm, leading her back to meal. "Come on, let's eat."

The food was indeed as wonderful as always, if not better. The first half of the meal was somewhat quiet but gradually the mood warmed up and the meal ended joyfully with talking and joking.

Kagome yawned. "I'm getting tired. I'll just go to bed now, don't mind me you can stay up."

"Oyasumi nasai, Kagome!" The Shichinintai men said in unison.

"Oyasumi nasai, everyone!" Kagome got up and leaned over Bankotsu, placing a light kiss on his lips. "Oyasumi nasai, Ban."

"Oyasumi nasai, koishii." Bankotsu replied watching as Kagome walked further back into the cave, where their beds were.

They stayed up talking about random things. After a few hours passed, they began talking in hushed tones.

"Bankotsu, she starting to remember things again." Jakotsu whispered. "Earlier she was asking me about our mother and told me about these "dreams" she had where she had a mother, a little brother, and a grandfather. She also started asking about why we call ourselves the Shichinintai."

Bankotsu nodded. "And I'm sure you all noticed that she was talking about that monk she used to travel with before dinner."

Suikotsu grimly nodded. "It seems that Kagome's amnesia is beginning to fade. It's been three years since we found her practically dead on the road."

"Soon she's going to realize we're her enemies and that we lied to her." Renkotsu sighed. "Jakotsu's not really her older brother, she didn't grow up with us, and she wasn't with us when the Shichinintai was formed. When she finds out all this time we've been lying to her, she'll leave us and go back to the hanyou."

Bankotsu slammed his fist down on the rock floor. "No! I won't let her go back to the bastard! Where the hell was he when she needed him! Why wasn't he the one to save her? At first, we may have only taken her in for ransom to Inuyasha, but she's a part of our family now! She is one of the Shichinintai. We may have lied to her, but the hanyou abandoned her."

Jakotsu nodded in agreement. "I may not be her biological brother, but Kagome is like a little sister to me, if it makes her happier to leave us, so be it. But I won't let her go back to someone who will only hurt her."

The conversation was cut short by a blood curdling scream.

The men look at each other. "Kagome!" In no time they all jumped up and ran to Kagome.

Kagome was sitting awake in her bed, she was drenched in sweat and her face was covered with tears. She was hugging her knees to her chest, and had her eyes clamped closed.

Bankotsu gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome?"

Kagome flung herself at him, nearly knocking him over. "Bankotsu!"

Bankotsu awkwardly patted her back. "What's wrong?"

"There was a-a hanyou. H-he was wearing r-red and-and…" She sobbed into Bankotsu haori. "He kept on slashing me, I-I couldn't do anything. The-the blood, it was everywhere! An-and the pain! It hurt so much! I-I wanted to die!"

Bankotsu tightened his hold around his wife. 'It was Inuyasha who nearly killed her.' "Shh… it was only a dream, it's okay."

"I-iie!" Kagome disagreed. "He was the one who attacked me, isn't he? He's the one who caused my amnesia!"

Bankotsu looked surprised. He sighed. "Hai, he's probably the one who caused your amnesia."

Suikotsu interjected. "Maybe we should all go to sleep. I find it helps to keep the bad dreams away when one is surrounded by people who love you."

Kagome gave him a small, thankful smile. "A-arigatou." Bankotsu gently laid Kagome back down on the bed and laid himself.

"Oyasumi nasai."

* * *

Bankotsu slammed his fist down angrily. "Shimatta!"

"Bankotsu?" Jakotsu looked questioningly at his leader.

Bankotsu glared at ground. "That bastard Naraku wants us to go after Inuyasha; he said we should avenge Kagome. He wants something with Kagome, I can feel it! And we can't possibly bring Kagome with us if we're going after Inuyasha!"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Jakotsu asked, his face clearly showing confusion.

"When I was out taking hunting, one of Naraku's dolls appeared. It told me that we needed to get rid of that "troublesome hanyou" Inuyasha, that he was getting in the way. He said it would also be the perfect opportunity to avenge Kagome. His exact words were "You probably shouldn't bring your beautiful wife with you; the poor girl will probably drown in anxiety and fear." He's planning to do something to her! Don't you see? He's cornered us into to doing one thing or another!" Bankotsu growled.

Suikotsu sighed. "Well, it seems we must weigh our choices: Is it worse if Kagome got in the hands of Naraku or saw the man who tried to kill her?"

Renkotsu sighed. "I put my vote in with Inuyasha, I don't trust Naraku."

Jakotsu nodded. "We'll be with Kagome if we have her with us when we go after Inuyasha, but if we leave her here, she has no one."

"I rather Kagome be with me when she's faced with danger." Bankotsu voiced.

Suikotsu agreed. "It's agreed then. Kagome is coming with us."

"Going where?" Kagome asked. Every man's jaw dropped. She had just returned from a nearby hot spring. Her cheeks were rosy from the heat, her long, ebony hair was still wet, and her kimono clung to her every curve. "Well?"

Renkotsu quickly diverted his gaze. "Err, well we were just hired to do another job, and we decided to bring you along."

Kagome grinned. "Finally! You never let me go on any jobs!" She skipped over to them and placed a quick kiss on all of their cheeks. It wasn't the first time Suikotsu and Renkotsu were jealous of Bankotsu. "When do we leave?"

Bankotsu took her hand and grinned. "Tomorrow morning."

Kagome hugged him. "Just wait and see, I'll prove my worth on the field." She then hurried over to the fire to start lunch.

* * *

Kagome yawned and stretched. She snuggled deeper into her husband's warmth. Her eye shot open when she remembered. "Hey, Ban!" She whispered, nudging him awake.

"Wha?" Bankotsu mumbled pulling Kagome closer to him.

"We have to leave soon! We want to get an early start, ne?" Kagome said.

Bankotsu rolled over, bringing Kagome with him. "Five more minutes."

Kagome sighed. 'So, it's come to this, has it?' Kagome laid her legs on either side of Bankotsu's body and put her hands on his chest. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Bankotsu's. She gently prodded his lips with her tongue, mimicking how he usually kissed her. She quietly moaned so only Bankotsu would hear her. She grinned when Bankotsu began responding and sat up. As soon as he sat up completely she pulled away and jumped out of his lap. "Time to get up Hun!"

Bankotsu groaned as he watched her skip over to Jakotsu's bed. He looked down at his lap. 'Damn her and her manipulating ways, I _really_ need a cold shower, this is getting painful.'

"Onii-san, wake up! Come on! Time to get up!" Kagome poked Jakotsu's nose.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" Jakotsu groaned and sat up. Kagome smiled and went to wake Renkotsu.

"Renkotsu! Wake up!" Kagome gently shook Renkotsu.

Renkotsu sat up. "I'm up,"

Kagome blinked. "Oh, okay then!" She stood and turned on her heel.

Suikotsu waved his hands in front of him. "I'm already up Kagome, you needn't bother."

Kagome nodded proudly as all four men wallowed out of their beds.

In no time they were on the road.

* * *

Bankotsu stopped. "We're near the village, but it's dark out, it'll be best if wait until morning."

The others nodded in agreement.

"I guess I'll get dinner started…" Kagome put her pack down and began rummaging through it.

Bankotsu stopped her. "We shouldn't start a fire, not this late. We packed jerky and fruit for dinner."

Kagome blinked. "Oh." She happily accepted the jerky and apple her husband handed her.

They ate mostly in silence, small comments were made now and then. Renkotsu was the first to fall asleep. Next was Jakotsu, then Suikotsu. It was only Bankotsu and Kagome still awake.

Bankotsu broke the comfortable silence, "When I married you, I swore to always love you, I really did mean that."

Kagome looked at Bankotsu. "Why tell me that? I know that you'll always love me."

Bankotsu pulled Kagome closer to him. "Will you love me no matter what?"

"Of course I will, I love you with all my heart. You should know that." Kagome replied, resting her head on Bankotsu's chest.

Bankotsu rested his chin on top of Kagome's head. "Then promise me you'll love me tomorrow."

Kagome's eyebrows drew together in confusion but she answered. "I promise to love you tomorrow, and everyday after that. Even after I die, I will always love you." She pulled away from Bankotsu and pressed her lips against his, proving her love for him.

Bankotsu pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. "Aishiteru,"

Kagome smiled and replied, "Aishiteru."

Bankotsu smiled and pulled Kagome back into his embrace. "And while I'm thinking about it, never wake me up like that again, unless you mean it."

Kagome giggled. "That's something I can't promise. It's too much fun torturing you."

Bankotsu groaned. "Great I fell in love with a woman who thinks torturing me is fun."

Kagome leaned forward and kissed Bankotsu's lips. "Maybe in a few months we'll work on starting our own family, okay? But for now, let's go to sleep, I'm exhausted."

"Oyasumi nasai."

* * *

Kagome was the first one to wake up. She quietly looked through the food bag. 'Oh great, we're out of fruit. I guess it won't hurt to go look for some while the others are sleeping.' Kagome crept away from the camp and began looking for fruit.

Kagome smiled when she came upon a lovely apple tree. She grabbed a ripe apple off a nearby branch and took a bite out of it.

"Oh! Juicy… Hm… how to carry them…" Kagome lightly tapped her chin as she took another bite.

"Ka-Kagome?" A vaguely familiar voice asked from behind her.

Kagome jumped in surprise. "Oh! Gomen nasai, you scared me." She turned around and smiled at the voice's owner. "You sound familiar, do you know me? Oh, silly question, you know my name of course you do. You'll have to forgive me, a few years ago I ha—" When she opened her eyes, they widened in fear.

There in front of her was the red-clad hanyou.

Kagome took a staggering step backwards. "You-you're th-that h-hanyou. S-stay back! I-I know how t-to defend myself!"

The hanyou took a slow step forward. "Kagome,"

Kagome turn and ran, struggling not to trip. "Leave me alone!" She ran as fast as she could, but the hanyou was fast. 'Not surprising…'

_He ran after her, gaining ground fast. Kagome could hear the pounding of his feet behind her. _

As fate would have it, Kagome tripped. She tried to stand up, but she simply couldn't.

_As her luck goes, a root sticking out of the ground tripped her. _

_'It's all over, he'll kill me.' Kagome thought, struggling to get up._

Kagome growled. 'I've escaped before, I'll do it again.' She forced herself off the ground and ran again.

"Kagome, wait!" The hanyou was merely yards behind her.

Kagome stumbled but kept running. 'I've got to get back to the rest Shichinintai!'

A clawed hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder, making her stop.

"Let go!" Kagome screeched and wrenched herself free from his grasp. It was no use, the hanyou had her backed up against a tree.

"Kagome, please, let me talk to you." The hanyou looked at her with sad eyes. They mad her want to cry. "I-I'm so sorry. Kikyou had me under some kind of spell, I swear. She had complete control over me. I-I killed her; I killed her once I regained control over myself. Ever since then I've been looking for you. I thought," He swallowed. "I thought I had killed you. I've hated myself for doing that to you, I…" He pulled her into his arms and Kagome could feel tears fall into her hair. "I'm so sorry."

Kagome's eyes softened slightly. "I-Inuyasha…" Suddenly, torrents of memories came rushing back to her. She struggled to stay conscious, but failed. Her body went limp in Inuyasha's arms.

_Kagome's eyes fluttered open, her body was in tremendous pain. Surrounding her were four men. _

_"Who-who are you?" Kagome whispered. Her voice was hoarse._

_The men exchanged looks before the most mature looking one spoke up. "You don't remember us?" _

_Kagome shook her head before fading out of consciousness._

_

* * *

_

_Kagome slowly opened her eyes. She looked around. There was a feminine man in the room shining a curved sword. _

_He looked up from what he was doing. "Oh, imouto! You're awake!" He put his sword aside and walked over to her. "How you feeling?" _

* * *

Kagome groaned, regaining consciousness. She opened her eyes and took in the familiar setting.

"Kagome! You're awake!" Sango threw herself at her. "You scared me so much. I thought you were dead, we all did." Her tears were evident in her voice.

"Now, now Sango. Let's not startle Kagome, she just woke up."

"M-Miroku?" Kagome asked.

Miroku smiled. "Ah, it's good to see you again. As Sango said, we thought you were dead. I'm glad to see you're alive, and okay."

"Okaa-san!" Shippou jumped up into Kagome's lap.

"W-what happened?" Kagome asked, stroking Shippou's head.

"Inuyasha came back here a few hours ago with you in his arms. For a second I thought that he found your corpse…" Miroku sat down next to Kagome and the sobbing Sango. "He said he found you picking apples. He said you said his name and then fainted." Miroku shrugged.

Kagome looked around the hut, identifying it as Kaede's. "Where is Inuyasha?"

"Right here." Inuyasha answered coming in the door. "I was just getting you some fresh water." He set a bucket of water down by her. Kagome thanked him.

"Kagome, where were you all this time? It's been three years." Miroku asked.

Kagome smiled she opened her mouth to reply but stopped and jumped up, luckily Shippou made it out of her lap in time. "I-I remember! I can remember everything! My amnesia is gone!" She ran over to the door. "I can't wait to tel—" Suddenly Kagome fell to her knees, her eyes wide.

"Kagome!" Sango jumped up. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Kagome shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "Th-they lied to me…"

Sango ran over to Kagome and pulled into her arms. "What's wrong? Who lied to you?"

Kagome pushed away from Sango. "NO!" She jumped up and ran from the hut, heading in the direction of the Shichinintai's camp.

Sango quickly got up. "Kagome!" She ran after her, Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippou, and Kirara following her. "Kagome, come back!"

Kagome ran as fast as she could, stumbling once or twice. She couldn't let her friends catch her; she had to get back to them.

Kagome tore through the underbrush straight into the Shichinintai's camp.

Bankotsu looked at her. "Kagome? What's wrong? We've been loo—"

Kagome slapped him. "You jerk! How could you!" She looked at all of them. "How could all of you lie to me! I trusted you! I _loved _you!"

"Ka-Kagome…" Bankotsu stepped forward and gently rested a hand on her cheek.

Kagome pulled away from him. "No! Stay ba—"

"Bankotsu! Leave her alone!" Inuyasha stood with Tetsusaiga raised. Sango and Miroku standing at ready behind him.

Bankotsu glared at him. "What? And leave you to try and kill her again?" He pushed Kagome behind him.

Sango and Miroku looked at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha what is he talking about?"

Inuyasha growled. "I was being controlled!" He charged at Bankotsu, Tetsusaiga poised to strike.

"OSUWARI!" Kagome screamed. She watched as Inuyasha was pulled to the earth. She ran in front of Bankotsu. "Leave them alone!"

Sango looked at Kagome with concerned eyes. "Kagome…"

When the spell wore off Inuyasha pushed himself up. "Move aside Kagome! Why are you protecting them?"

"They took care of me! They nursed me back to health!" Kagome looked away. "I may be mad at them right now, and I have every right to be, but they're my family! Jakotsu's my onii-san, and so are Renkotsu and Suikotsu! I love them all! They had no right to lie to me, but they never hurt me like you did! They were always there for me!" Kagome screamed the last part, tears falling from her tightly closed eyes.

Inuyasha growled. "How could murders always be there for you? How could they love? They're _dead_. Come back to us, your friends."

Kagome shook her head. "No! They're my family!"

"How do you know that they're not using you? This could just be a plot! They can't feel anymore, they're dead. They lost all feelings when they died."

"No! They can feel! I know they can! Jakotsu's always happy! Suikotsu, he likes to take care of people! He has to have feelings to do that! Renkotsu was very close to Ginkotsu before he died, and when he did, it hurt him!" Tears fell freely down Kagome's face. "And Bankotsu! Every time we kiss, I can feel all the love and passion he feels! And when he holds me and tells me he loves me, I know he does! I can see it in his eyes! They all can feel!"

"Bankotsu did what!" Inuyasha flexed his claws.

"I kissed her. In fact I kiss her every day, at least five times, usually more though." Bankotsu smirked. "Of course, after all that kissing I married her."

Inuyasha growled. "Kagome! Is this true?"

Kagome nodded her head. "It is Inuyasha. And I don't regret it! I love Bankotsu! He never made me wait for him, and he never made me feel like I was second best. He actually cared about how I felt."

"HE'S THE ENEMY!" Inuyasha shouted.

"HE'S NOT _MY_ ENEMY!" Kagome shouted back.

Inuyasha looked at her piercingly. "He works for Naraku!"

"That's by force!" Kagome retorted.

"That doesn't mean anything!"

Kagome glared at him. "Then it doesn't mean anything to me that Kikyou had you under her control when you tried to kill me!"

Inuyasha's mouth dropped open. "Th-that's different!"

"No it's not, and you know it!"

Inuyasha growled, he was losing this fight, he knew he was, but that made no difference. Kagome was _his_, and he would fight to the end to get her back.

"So that's it?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome's brow furrowed. "Wh-wha?"

"You're going to give up on your duty to us, your _friends_, and the shikon no tama for _them_?" Inuyasha took a step forward.

"N-no…"

"That's what you're doing! You know you are, you are giving up your duties, you're betraying us!"

Kagome's hands clenched. "No! I'm not betraying anyone! I'm following my heart! I—"

"So, Naraku can have the shikon no tama, huh? Screw the innocent people he will hurt, screw the future, is that it? Sooner or later Naraku will want the shikon shards that he wasted on these bastards back, then what? You'll be alone with no one to protect you!" Inuyasha continued to walk closer to Kagome. "Don't you see Kagome? _We're_ your real family." When Inuyasha reached her he pulled her into his embrace. "_I_ love you."

Kagome couldn't pull away from him, her brain stopped working, making her confused. 'I… I can't… think,'

_Kagome watched as the feminine man approached her. "You're looking a little better…" _

_"Who…Who are you?"_

_The feminine man looked surprised. "You don't remember? It's me, Jakotsu, your older brother." He wrapped his arms around her broken frame. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to save you." _

_Suddenly the little fear she had of the man dissipated, and a warm feeling engulfed her. She felt… safe. _

The Shichinintai watched Inuyasha hold Kagome with sad faces. Was it over then? Would she leave them to go back to her old friends?

_"Suikotsu…" Kagome whispered. She concentrated her eyes on the ground._

_"Yes?" The tall man next to her looked down at her._

_Kagome swallowed. "Do… do you think that… I'm worthless?"_

_Suikotsu crouched down on his knees and rested a hand on Kagome's cheek. "No, I could never think you are worthless. You have worked hard and proven yourself time and time again. You're strong, Kagome, perhaps even stronger than us." _

_Kagome slowly looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Thank you…"_

Inuyasha lightly kissed the top of her head. "Don't you see? You're better off with us."

_Renkotsu and Kagome sat alone in the cave, waiting for the others to return. _

_"Hey… Renkotsu?" Kagome quietly asked._

_Renkotsu looked at her surprised; she rarely ever spoke to him. "Hai?"_

_"What's in that… liquid that you make fire out of?" _

_Renkotsu blinked than slowly began smiling. "I couldn't possibly tell you that, it's a secret." _

_"Oh, I'm sorry…" Kagome replied quietly, a blush coming to her cheeks. She looked at her hands dejectedly. A few moments later she looked back up. "How do you make the fire?" _

_Renkotsu laughed. "That, I can show you." He got up and sat back down next to her. _

_The next few minutes Renkotsu spent explaining how he created fire. He then did a demonstration. The whole time Kagome listened and watched with wide eyes. _

_"There," Renkotsu said wiping a bit of the liquid from his mouth. "That's how it's done." He handed her the gourd. "Try it." _

_Kagome hesitantly took the gourd and took a small sip out of it. Immediately she spat the liquid out. "Ugh! Repulsive!" _

_Renkotsu laughed while Kagome scraped her tongue, desperately trying to get rid of the taste. Gradually Kagome joined in on the laughter. _

Tears began welling in Kagome's eyes. 'What's going on? Why can't I think? Why am I so confused?'

_Kagome sat on a rock, rain poured down on her. That's why she came out here though, it hid her tears. _

_"He hates me!" Kagome sobbed, if it weren't for the rain, you would be able to see tears rapidly falling from her eyes. "He'll never like me the way I like him! I'm just a miserable, ugly, useless freak!" She pounded her fists on the boulder she was sitting on, ignoring the pain it caused and the blood that began to mix with tears and rain. "Why can't Bankotsu love me?" _

_"Who said I didn't?" _

_The voice made Kagome's eyes widen in fear. She jumped up and made a run for it, determined to get away from him. _

_A strong hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. "Well? I'm waiting for an answer." _

_Kagome refused to look at him. "Leave me alone Bankotsu! Stop making fun of me! I know you'll never love me, I know you find me unattractive, stupid, and useless! It's not like I wanted to—" His lips came crashing down on hers in a searing and passionate kiss. _

_He reluctantly pulled away. "I think I proved my point." He pulled her wet and trembling figure to him. "I love you Kagome." _

"He-help me…" Kagome whispered inaudibly. "Help me," She repeated, only louder this time. "Help me, Bankotsu!" Kagome yelled it this time, allowing everyone there to hear it. She pushed herself out of Inuyasha's hold and ran back to Bankotsu.

Kagome threw herself into Bankotsu's arms. "I love you Bankotsu! I don't want to lose you! I don't want lose you, or aniki, or Renkotsu, or Suikotsu! I don't want to lose any of you!" Tears fell down her face nearly as rapidly as they did one rainy night. "I promised I'd love you today, and every day after, and I intend to keep that promise!"

She pressed her lips to Bankotsu's, putting her all into it. She poured all the love she had for Bankotsu into her kiss; she wanted him to know that she would never stop loving him, no matter what. Bankotsu responded the same.

Everyone stared in astonishment at Kagome and Bankotsu, no one believing what Kagome had just done.

Sango smiled and leaned her head on Miroku's shoulder. Somehow, seeing Kagome kiss Bankotsu comforted her. 'As long as she's happy, I will be happy for her.' Miroku wrapped his arms around Sango's waist, sharing the same thought.

Suikotsu and Renkotsu smiled. They would never stop loving Kagome, but they could accept that she and Bankotsu were happy. They knew Kagome was happy, and that was good enough for them.

Jakotsu grinned. Maybe his adopted imouto and his aniki would have a happy ending after all; no hanyou would come between them. Maybe now Jakotsu would get _his_ chance with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha watched Kagome with sad eyes. He should've foreseen this, he pushed her away until Kikyou was gone, and by then, so was Kagome. But somehow, he found himself unable to be angered by this sight, or his thoughts. In the end it was his own fault he was alone, watching the woman he loved kiss another man.

Kagome pulled away when it became necessary to breathe. She rested her forehead upon Bankotsu's. "Promise you'll love me tomorrow."

Bankotsu smiled. "… and every day after?" Kagome nodded. "I promise to love you Kagome, tomorrow and every day after that, forever and ever."

* * *

A/N: Well that was interesting… I have no idea what I just wrote… Eh he… Seriously, I really don't! I think that was a drama/romance… erm… or was it romance/drama? Oh, I'm so confused! Anyway, I'm not sure if that was good or not, I was just writing random things down… so let me know what you thought of it! I'll get this posted up as soon as I get my internet back up (Yay! That's tomorrow!). Actually, I think I might ask Mikako if she would mind editing this… so after I get the next chapter of ROTH posted this will be up. Um… moving on! Review please!

Mikako: I really liked this story. It was good, who else thinks this should be extended into more of a story of them going after Naraku? I think so but that might just be me.

Japanese Dictionary:

Youkai: Demons  
Goshinboku: God Tree  
Osuwari: Sit  
Imouto: Younger sister  
Aniki: Older Brother  
Shichinintai: Seven Man group  
Gonintai: Five Man group  
Onii-san: Older brother  
Okaa-san: Mother  
Otouto: Younger brother  
Ojii-san: Grandpa  
Kami-sama: God  
Oyasumi nasai: Good night  
Koishii: Love, darling  
Hanyou: Half demon  
Iie: No  
Shimatta: Damn it  
Ne: Right? (used at the end of sentences)  
Aishiteru: I love you  
Shikon no tama: Jewel of Four Souls  
Hai: Yes


End file.
